For the long term management of the non effusive form of Feline Infectious Peritonitis

The Essential FIP Survivor Guide

The Essential FIP Survivor Guide

About the guide

The Essential FIP Survivor guide is for people who have a cat suffering from, or suspected of, the non-effusive form of Feline Infectious Peritonitis (FIP), a.k.a. dry FIP. The treatment described in this guide is centered around the off-label use of an USDA-approved, biologic initially developed for the treatment of signs of feline rhinotracheitis, caused by the feline herpesvirus. This product is called Polyprenyl Immunostimulant.

The Essential FIP Survivor Guide is divided in two main sections, the medical approach, and the parent’s corner. The medical approach covers medical and technical information, such as treatment protocol, dosage and frequency, nutrition, general care and more. This section is essentially medical and technical in nature. The second section goes over the same topics but from the parent’s perspective. This section addresses the emotional aspect of caring for a cat afflicted with a deadly disease and the many challenges of long-term treatment. You will also find links to useful sites and various groups that deal specifically with FIP.

The treatment

This experimental treatment was first started in 2006 by Dr Alfred Legendre, of the University of Tennessee. Polyprenyl Immunostimulant is not a miracle drug, nor is it a cure for FIP. It does not work for all cats, as each case is a different challenge, but we currently have over 100 cats surviving the dreaded FIP disease with good quality of life.

What to expect

Why do some cats survive and others don’t? Unfortunately, this is a question that we cannot answer with certainty at this time. The reality is that you will not know until you try. However, we have observed that the earlier the start of treatment, the better the chance of success.

By “surviving” we mean one year or more post diagnosis. As a matter of fact, several cats are still surviving years after starting treatment, and you can see some of them, and read their story, in our Hall of Fame section. For these cats, and their parents, life with FIP becomes a long term management of a chronic disease, rather than the certain and swift demise that generally follows palliative care with steroids.

Until there is a cure or a vaccine, Polyprenyl Immunostimulant offers the best hope of survival for cats afflicted with the dry form of FIP. Dry FIP is the chronic form of the disease, whereas wet FIP is the acute form. Polyprenyl Immunostimulant has not proved successful with the effusive form of the disease.

About the authors

The FIP Survivor’s Guide is a two-person effort and both are parents of survivors. Their first-hand experience along with other survivors’ parents, and observations made over the years, are shared throughout the book.